Cherish is my favorite word, and I cherish the ability of turning the routine into a beautiful moment. Nature creates in me, a spiritual and meditative time to bring peace, harmony and balance, into an otherwise ordinary day~ Mary Howell Cromer

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Enter the Hoh and Quinault Rain Forest...Well Sort of~

Well, if you are following my journey, you already know that this was our longest destination point...the Pacific Rain Forests, and Olympic National Park, in Washington.My husby drove 500 miles plus a day for 5 days to reach Washington and this was day 6.We were heading down the lane that takes you into the gates at Hoh Rain Forest and this particular morning, I must confess, I was sick at my stomach. I had watched the morning news, only to realize that the government SHUTDOWN was still in force and that this day, I would miss out on my long awaited 43 year dream of entering Hoh, Queets and Quinault Rain Forest. Chances are extremely slim, that this journey will ever come about again...Just look at the colours unfolding in the image above, glorious beauty.I hope that you will be sure to view the post prior to this one as well, for they go hand in hand on this journey made last month~

Remember to double click on the image, to view a larger slide show of the images shared

Even snails and slugs grew larger here. An Oregon Junco is a subspecies of the Dark Eyed Junco and this was the only one that I saw, but hey, it was a bird...yea.OK, did I go around the gates, did I step around them and defy the law...I will never tell.Here I am with our 2 Long Coat German Shepherds.9 month old Silveit to my right and 5 year old Meaka to my left~

Each of the images showing these trees and ferns and mosses, just totally mesmerized me. I so wanted to just take off and wonder a bit, but this is also bear country and other wild things and so I did not dare risk any chances~

I would so appreciate a good ID on these birds in flight. The images were cropped, as the birds were far out and we were not allowed on the National Park beaches either...sigh!I thought possibly White-winged Scoters, Wigeons, Scaups? My guide does not show all of the possibilities in flight.Thanking Phil Slade for proper ID...yea...White-winged Scoters~

Well at least Ruby Beach had a couple of pull offs to be able to at least stop and view some of the beauty, even if you could not poke your toes in the sand~

And then, there they were...we had not been able to view any whales along the coast so far and even though they were far away, they were there...yea!I checked on Bing and Google and I am pretty sure that these would have been Gray Whales~

A Common Raven perched atop driftwood at La Push~

We have now made it down the coast to Quinault Rain Forest area and yes, we cannot get in here either...the whole SHUTDOWN was absolutely miserable for many reasons, of which do not get me started, sigh, you would never hear the end of it~

A Pacific Northwest Song Sparrow~

We drove pretty far back on the loop and then came upon a couple driving toward us. They had gone 6 more miles in and said, it was not worth the trip back in mostly a muddy dirt road way.

It was us stopping to speak with them, that I heard a rush of water.

It was not a large waterfall by any means, but there was just something about the timing, that really made me happy.

We were missing the larger picture, but we were also viewing the smaller ones, and I had to smile~

I know it is a total and complete bummer that you could not get in to the Park etc. (and I can't even find the words to say how stupid that shutdown was, talk about don't get me started...)...but really you guys did see some scenery that rivals what you would have seen the Park (I think. It has been years since we've been there. But the green mossy pictures and the waterfalls that you show, really those are like the pictures in my mind if I think about that area.

Seriously, what a 'sterling' post!!! And fabulous images in your collages...love the moss, the water, the animals...the park entrance...everything. And to have your trip during the government shutdown....I would be bawling.

Such a shame that your trip coincided with the shutdown Mary. It must have been quite heartbreaking and a great temptation to explore behind those signs - I am sure you didn't and that those wonderful images of the mossy forest and waterfalls were taken from the gate with a very long lens! I'm going for White-winged Scoter too.

Mary, I was so mad about the shutdown and the politicians just made me enough more angry. Your photos are lovely, the lushness of the forest is just beautiful in your photos. Wonderful collection of birds, I love the cute Junco. Great post, thanks for sharing.

amazing pictures of the forest despite the shutdown Mary. What a disappointment - but your views are wonderful anyways. What an amazing place. I love your images. They remind me a bit of the forests of Tasmania, an island state of Australia.Have a wonderful week and thank you for stopping by my blog this week. We are both showing pics of our travels!

This is truly a magical place. I actually used to work and live on the outer coast of Olympic National Park. I loved it... very wild and free. I studied sea otters... followed their movements... watched what they ate and where.... conducted surveys... interpreted what they did in a 24 hour period.... and just learned whatever i could from them.

I love and enjoy each visitor to "Red Shouldered Hawks of Tingsgrove and Beyond." I truly appreciate those who have become followers to my blog and really am encouraged by the wonderful comments. I also enjoy leaving comments and would like to ask that you please make your blog word verification free! You still have top security settings and you still have control over the comments published. It would make it so much easier, if you would consider doing this. I switched several months ago and am thrilled with the results~

Canticle Of The Sun

~ My Heart Song ~

My desire is to share the very essence of nature through photography which awakens and refreshes me, in that I breathe more deeply, take heart in the stillness it brings, and cherish the fleeting moments in this delicate balance of the rhythmic poetry and whispers of life and always thirst for more. From 9 years of age, I have enjoyed wildlife and nature. That is when my awareness of it's beauty and mystery began to form.

Back in the late 1970's my husband and I became interested in Raptors. We obtained a Federal Permit to Rehab and Release Birds of Prey. We also worked with the Louisville Zoo Administrator Dr. William Foster on this program. I later joined Kentucky Wildlife Line and was covered by a blanket permit, to rehab and release small mammals, for another 8 years. In 1996, I first took notice of a beautiful pair of Red-Shouldered hawks that had nested on our 2 acres, and that was a gift, that just keeps on giving.

One day I was on Google wondering if anyone else out there loved Red-Shouldered Hawks, like I do. I came across a single site...one done by Vickie Henderson. I had never heard of a blog, but she introduced me and encouraged me to begin my own. That was in June of 2009. My blog "Red-Shouldered Hawks of Tingsgrove and Beyond", is just one way to share the images from my world.

Normandy Life

Mosaic Monday

Saturday's Critters

Wild Bird Wednesday

Visitors

Having loved horses my entire life, I began creating these Equestrians in the late 1990's, prior to the now famed Gallopalooza horses which later came on the scene. Tingsgrove Equestrians are made using layers of upholstery fabrics that I blend together and then apply to molded forms. Many of these have been sold around the country and shipped as far as Europe~

Nature and photography go hand in hand in my life. My husband has done many nature watercolurs in the past, though, retired from painting these days. It seemed only natural to share one of my favorites on my nature blog~Two Hummingbirds~